A newbie deciding on a transport/DAC

Check these reviews on the Bel Canto DAC 1: http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/belcanto_dac1.htm http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/belcanto_dac1_followup.htm Good luck. Charlie

I purchased the Parasound about a year ago at a similar price and have been very happy with it. I had auditioned a lot of different transports and the Parasound was the overall best sounding at a reasonable price. As an alternative I would consider a Pioneer DVD with a used Audio Alchemy DTI 2.0 or Pro. I have found that either Audio Alchemy enhances the sound of any transport I have tried, including the Parasound. I have not heard the MSB version III but did audition the MSB version I and did not like it. It's worth about $400, but is no giant killer as advertised. If $400 is all you want to spend I would suggest looking for a used dac. I have purchased used Micro Mega dacs for $300 and $500 and they both sounded better than the MSB. I also have a Bel Canto Dac 1 and the only thing I have heard that is better is a Theta Pro Gen V. For digital cables, the best bargain I have heard is the Apogee Wyde Eye and the best sounding-the Harmonic Technology.

I own a Sony DVP-S7700 DVD Player, Sonic Frontiers SFT-1 and Sonic Frontiers SFD-2MKII. As far as transports go, that "best in the world" review of the S7700 is a joke. The SFT-1 walks all over it. It's a fine sounding transport, but it's mid-fi sony junk compared to real high-end audio.

I owned a DVD/MSB Link combo for about a year. For the price it was a great deal. However, I wasn't the best combo. The McCormack CD transport that replaced the DVD Player was a much better match for the MSB. This combo was more transparent and the soundstage was wider and deeper (but at the cost of more $$). There are alot of varying opinions when it comes to using DVD Players as transports for CD playback. Though it may be the cheapest route it isn't necessarily the best. Take what you read with a large amount of skepticism; especially when someone tells you that something is absolutely the best there is, was, and ever will be. I suggest that you try a few combos, if you can, before purchasing. Check out www.audioreview.com to help you narrow the choices. Auditioning can be time consuming but the end result is rewarding - the best musical reproduction for your hard-earned dollar (or whatever currency you have).

Considering that the sony DVDS7700 is more than the parasound and the MSB together where I come from(new zealand) thats not going to happen :) I am not going to buy anything from overseas, as with the new zealand dollar low, id get ripped off. Any other good ideas on transports for me? Would the parasound be a waste of money - even at that price? I already have a DVD player, but Its not a good one, doesnt have a coaxial output etc.. not 24/96. Id like a better one if thats wbhat you reckon would be good. What other models would be as good as the DVDs7000?

The Sony DVD S-7700 is arguably the best transport in the world, regardless of price (read planet hi-fi's review of it's predecessor, the S-7000, which I also owned). The Birdland upsampling DAC will give you, for under a grand, sound comparable to the Bel Canto DAC. There you have it, anything else, like the planet and IO DAC, even though they are fine machines, will not provide sound in the same league as the SONY / Birdland or Bel Canto combo. And with the best DVD machine on the planet as a bonus, it's a no-brainer. The Pioneer by comparison is clunky and cheap....Have fun!

You should take a look at Rega's Jupiter/Io transport/DAC combo. It's a very good system, particularly if you are able to buy it on the used market. You could also get the Jupiter transport (which is essentially an upgraded version of the Rega Planet CD player, with roughly twice the power supplies), and run it into a DAC of your own choice.

Following up on Hifinut604, I've heard the Pioneer with the MSB and can attest that it works very well. I agree with his other suggestions as well. My two cents is to get the upsampling upgrade on the MSB, as I find that to be a worthwhile addition (I think it's in the Bel Canto as well?). I have trouble listening without upsampling, now that I've got it (I use dCs, but I've also heard the MSB's upsampling), and the MSB, at least, makes it defeatable if you don't find it to your liking.

MSB Link DAC 3 would be a good choice. Many reviewers have suggested mating it with a Pioneer DV-414 DVD. (or any DVD player with a 24/96 output, ask the dealer or check the manual before you buy) If you use a DVD player as a transport, you can output a 24/96 digital signal to the Link DAC. The Parasound might be a better quality CD transport in absolute terms, but it doesn't do DVD and 24/96 and it's the DAC that makes the most difference in sound quality. For a little more money than your suggested combo, you can get a Pioneer DVD player with a Bel Canto DAC1 that I'm pretty certain will smoke the combo you suggested, especially with 24/96 recordings, and likely won't need to be upgraded for a very long time. Don't skimp on the digital cable either.